Name: Southampton
Formed: 1885
Manager: Claude Puel
Stadium: St Mary’s
Capacity: 32,505
Last season: 6th
Despite finishing sixth in the Premier League last season, Southampton have once again endured a summer of change with Ronald Koeman moving to Merseyside to take charge of Everton.
Enter, Claude Puel.
The Frenchman certainly has big shoes to fill with both Koeman and his predecessor Maurico Pochettino taking the south coast by storm, and European football beckons at St Mary’s.
Puel, 54, will lead Saints and he’s backed by vast experience both on the pitch and off it, having made almost 500 appearances for Monaco before moving into management during which time he’s taken charge of Lille, Lyon and Nice.
On top of looking for a new manager Saints have also been busy replacing a number of stars with their ranks depleted following a number of high-profile exits.
Liverpool once again picked up the phone resulting in Sadio Mane moving to Anfield for a hefty fee, with Tottenham Hotspur snapping up midfielder Victor Wanyama as Graziano Pelle became the latest player to move to China.
Nathan Redmond, who featured alongside Jordan Pickford and Duncan Watmore at the Toulon Tournament in May, became the first recruit joining from relegated Norwich City.
And Wanyama’s replacement soon followed with Saints pulling off an impressive move to sign Bayern Munich starlet Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
Further reinforcements will undoubtedly follow.
Sunderland’s last trip to St Mary’s saw Sam Allardyce’s side come away disappointed despite picking up a point, with Koeman’s side snatching a draw at the death thanks to Virgil van Dijk’s stoppage-time strike.
Meanwhile, Saints’ last trip to the Stadium of Light saw them seal a 1-0 win with the next meeting taking place on Saturday 27 August.
